Analysis

Poll: Close divide on death penalty

The attitudes of voters. Illustration by Niroworld, via Shutterstock.

Field-IGS Poll: Nearly a quarter of likely voters in the poll (23%) said they were intending to vote Yes on both death penalty measures, even though they have opposite aims. This may partially be due to confusion about the intent of Prop. 66, or simply that some voters want to change the status quo of how the state now handles death penalty cases, regardless of how it’s done.

Analysis

PolitiFact: Gov. Brown and Prop. 53

Gov. Brown speaking against Proposition 53. (Screen shot via Youtube

ANALYSIS: An independent look at the measure by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and an examination by the state’s treasurer, describe some scenarios that agree with Brown’s point. But the governor ignores the LAO’s argument that there could conceivably be some costs savings, particularly if Prop 53 forces the state to make better use of existing infrastructure.

Analysis

CA120: Despite missteps, Trump’s backers stay faithful

GOP presidential contender Donald Trump at a rally in Boca Raton, Florida. ((Photo: Windover Way Photography)

We found that no matter what Trump has said – be it the sexually explicit and aggressive comments released before the second debate, or his statement in Wednesday’s third and final debate that he would not commit to accepting the result of the election – his support here in California has remained very consistent.

Analysis

PolitiFact: Anti-Prop. 57 claim on Brock Turner case ‘mostly false’

The scales of justice in an empty courtroom. Photo: tlegend, via Shutterstock

On the day Turner was released, opponents of a California ballot measure to reduce prison crowding seized on the notorious case to make a questionable claim. “Brock Turner’s early release will be a regular occurrence if Prop. 57 passes,” claims the headline of a news release on the Stop57.com campaign website.

Analysis

PolitiFact: Yes on 55 claim misses mark

Photo: Everett Collection, via Shutterstock)

ANALYSIS: Recent radio and TV ads claim California’s K-12 public schools face dire cuts if voters fail to approve Proposition 55, a measure on November’s ballot that would extend an income tax hike on wealthy residents. The ads by the Yes on 55 campaign paint a dark picture. They cite past spending cuts that led to thousands of teacher layoffs, eliminated art and music programs and increased class sizes a few years ago.

Analysis

PolitiFact: Kamala Harris and veterans’ suicides

PolitiFact's Truth-o-Meter

In her campaign for U.S. Senate, California Attorney General Kamala Harris has pledged to “clean up” the scandals and reduce wait times at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The issue, Harris has said, is a matter of life and death.

Analysis

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

Sutter Brown at the state Capitol. (Illustration: Judd Hertzler/Capitol Weekly. Photo: Scott Duncan/Capitol Weekly)

“Lists like the one you are about to read are a lot like most hairpieces: They’re probably a bad idea, but they do get a lot of people talking,” we wrote in 2009. Eight lists later, we’re still having fun – okay, not as much as before – but we think this list has value and is becoming something of an institution. At least, that’s what people tell us.

Analysis

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: 51-100

51 Jack Kavanagh Jack Kavanagh doesn’t write news stories or cover events for television – although he used to do both. But he puts together a website called Rough & Tumble that has become a sort of daily clearinghouse for California political news. He did that in 1997 to educate his TV station’s staff

Analysis

How bad is water management in California?

Oroville Lake. (Photo by Pauk, via Wikipedia)

California’s combination of climate, native ecosystems, and human uses makes water management inherently hard, unsatisfactory, and evolving. California is doomed to have difficult and controversial water problems. No matter how successful we are.

Analysis

PolitiFact: ‘Pants On Fire’ for report of Sanders’ CA win

A rally for Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders in Irvine, May 22. (Photo: mikeledray, via Shutterstock)

Polls showed Californians ‘Feeling the Bern,’ shortly before the state’s June 7 primary. Bernie Sanders had pulled even or surged slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential race after barnstorming from Chico to Chula Vista. But early results on Election Day showed Clinton crushing Sanders by more than 20 percentage points, a margin that later narrowed to 12.6 points.

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